A smart city is a concept which refers to the integration of design and technology into new and existing cities in an attempt to leverage its resources toward creating a more livable, functional and sustainable environment in the context of rapid urban population growth. Arguably the biggest social problem of the 21st century, a rising population brings into sharp focus the scarcity of resources available to meet their increasing demand, and it is this troubling relationship against which incentives like smart cities are aiming to counter.
Conceptually, the term Smart City envelops a series of Information Communications Technology incentives which overlap and tandem with networks within the infrastructure of a city in order to create ‘sustainable economic development and a high quality of life with a wise management of natural resources, through participatory action and engagement’ (Caragliu and Nijkamp 2009). Prior to this definition, the term dates back to early 2007 in Griffinger et al’s Smart Cities: Ranking of European Medium Sized Cities.
(YouTube, 2015)
Are Smart Cities New?
As a management trend, Smart Cities have their origins in work dating 2007, but the term has come into more functional use in years as recent as 2014, suggesting the concept is still academically relevant to theorists who are still looking to solidify a definition. There are also frequent and up to date references to the development of smart cities in the media, with a google news search on any given day at the time of writing producing a reasonable handful of articles on the topic within the past few days. This suggests that while the inception of the term may not be sparklingly new, it is its application as a management system which can be considered current, since there are new developments emerging frequently and consistently which demonstrate its growing popularity and societal relevance.
Are Smart Cities a Trend?
Smart City initiatives have undoubtedly become a trend in resource management, evidenced by their enduring development which extends from the inception of the concept up to the present day, covering an approximate 10 year period. This far outreaches the duration expected of a fad, which can be considered a liminal, introductory stage in the life-cycle of conceptual/ product development rarely completing the transition from introduction to growth stages. Those able to endure this period tend to evolve into new practices, which qualify them as trending items as opposed to merely fads- those which are abandoned as failures after a brief period of success (Gibson & Tesone, 2001). Fads can be considered to have the properties of simplicity, promise, novelty, lively, universal, in-tune with the zeitgeist and legitimated by gurus (Miller et al, 2004). In contrast to fads, which influence engagement, trends influence tactics and focus on future and subcutaneous issues.
(Miller et al, 2004 via https://www.researchgate.net/publication/4885139_How_to_detect_a_management_fad_-_And_distinguish_it_from_a_classic)
Considering the above table outlining the properties of administrative fads, it is with little alignment that the concept of Smart Cities can be applied to the framework. As a complex and sophisticated set of initiatives, and with the awareness that the term itself is still being explored by theorists, it is far from straightforward. While it is possible to argue a link with the feature of promising results, this can be stated about both trends and fads since the purpose of any idea or initiative in this vein is to produce results, and those for Smart Cities are no exception. Perhaps the key distinction in the results forecasting offered by trends and fads can be that the latter may fail to deliver on an enduring scale the promises of value given during the earlier stages of its development. The appeal of Smart Cities can been seen as universal since they aim to counter the widespread issue of rapid population growth and the consequential resource scarcity in its wake. However, this problem is most prevalent in urban communities and societies which gears the solution of Smart Cities exclusively towards the development of urban locations rather than across a wider margin of areas. The step-down capability of Smart Cities is almost non-existent, since all plans in this course of action require a significant investment of time and capital, and its implementation is extremely thorough and research-based, as opposed to ritualistic and superficial. Smart cities do resonate with major trends and business problems of the day, and can be considered a response to the challenges posed by the problem, however, unlike a fad, this management trend represents a lasting solution to the issue rather than a spontaneous or timely reaction to a new development.
Are Smart Cities Management?
Since Smart Cities are created as a solution to the problem of resource scarcity precipitated by rapid urban population growth, it can be identified as a system of resource management. Many of the features associated with Smart Cities are closely in-keeping with existing trends and best practices predicted to make an impact on management and its application today and in the future. One such example is the development of remote working, and its role in building teams. As established in one blog article monitoring management trends for 2016, the rise in remote working arrangements can give companies greater access to a wider pool of talent free from geographical and economic restrictions that would otherwise inhibit recruitment to a more accessible selection of candidates. With smart cities, this is applied in the use of a technology called Telepresence, which creates a more inclusive version of virtual classrooms and boardrooms which can be transmitted across the internet to any other participating telepresence location in the world. Beyond this, in light of an increasing awareness of the difficulty in visiting a GP in the United States of America, it has been proposed that telepresence will soon allow online doctor's consultations through telepresence, which could potentially save millions of dollars in healthcare bills and provide significantly better access to essential clinical advice and treatment.
Implementing Smart Cities: Yesterday and Today
Despite the fact that this TEDx talk was given over 3 years ago, it gives a great insight into the development of smart cities and how many of the initiatives that make up the concept have already been implemented and what effect they are having upon the world. More specifically, this talk is useful in that it gives a useful and coherent snapshot of where in their development smart cities were at the time of this recording, which gives an interesting marker against which to measure current information on the subject.
(YouTube, 2013)
Songdo, South Korea
Many of the initiatives necessary to qualify a city as 'Smart' exist in this purpose-build International Business District in South Korea, which upon completion in 2020 aims to be the first fully functioning and inhabited smart city in the world. Developed by networking giant Cisco, Songdo boasts many sustainability achievements:
(Bishop, A. 2007 via http://www.opp.today/songdo-praised-as-sustainable-new-city/)
Masdar City, United Arab Emirates
Another example of a smart city built from scratch is Masdar City in the UAE, which places greater importance on design rather than the development of new technologies to create the desired environment in the city. One example of this is the architectural decision to construct the city at a 45 degree angle to the equator, and arrange buildings closer together than traditional cities, so that there is always shade throughout the day on the streets, which can result in a fair reduction in air temperature even during hours which are usually extremely hot due to its desert location.
Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
Points of Contention
Sustained Funding
Privacy
Perhaps the most immediate concern of smart city projects is the sacrifice of privacy necessary to maintain such an effective technological ecosystem operated upon the continual recording and measuring of data. This could compromise citizens sense of security in these environments since such a greater degree of intrusion is possible in these instances by hackers or terrorists, making this a very real concern which needs addressing. Some solutions and considerations regarding this issue are outlined in the video below.
(YouTube, 2015)
How Will Smart Cities And Their Development Influence Management Practice?
The development of smart cities will undoubtedly have a large impact on management practice as a whole due to its multi-faceted approach to resource management and manipulation of technology to achieve a desired end. One particular example is in the massive increase in data collection which can be implemented into many management practices, whereby more data gives a clearer and more complete picture of a situation and thus allows for better decisions to be made in terms of strategy and direction. Also, the greater level of environmental monitoring will add a greater level of accountability to individuals, companies and governments alike, which will perpetuate a more honest society.
Conclusion
It can be firmly established that smart cities and their associated initiatives and developments can indeed be considered a new trend in management.
YouTube (2015) ‘
Quick Look: Effective Partnerships- Security and Privacy in Smart Cities’ [Online] Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8xid79rYq0[Accessed 05 February 2017].
Smart Cities: A New Trend In Management?
(Elets News Network, 2015)
Introduction
Table of Contents
Conceptually, the term Smart City envelops a series of Information Communications Technology incentives which overlap and tandem with networks within the infrastructure of a city in order to create ‘sustainable economic development and a high quality of life with a wise management of natural resources, through participatory action and engagement’ (Caragliu and Nijkamp 2009). Prior to this definition, the term dates back to early 2007 in Griffinger et al’s Smart Cities: Ranking of European Medium Sized Cities.
(YouTube, 2015)
Are Smart Cities New?
As a management trend, Smart Cities have their origins in work dating 2007, but the term has come into more functional use in years as recent as 2014, suggesting the concept is still academically relevant to theorists who are still looking to solidify a definition. There are also frequent and up to date references to the development of smart cities in the media, with a google news search on any given day at the time of writing producing a reasonable handful of articles on the topic within the past few days. This suggests that while the inception of the term may not be sparklingly new, it is its application as a management system which can be considered current, since there are new developments emerging frequently and consistently which demonstrate its growing popularity and societal relevance.Are Smart Cities a Trend?
Smart City initiatives have undoubtedly become a trend in resource management, evidenced by their enduring development which extends from the inception of the concept up to the present day, covering an approximate 10 year period. This far outreaches the duration expected of a fad, which can be considered a liminal, introductory stage in the life-cycle of conceptual/ product development rarely completing the transition from introduction to growth stages. Those able to endure this period tend to evolve into new practices, which qualify them as trending items as opposed to merely fads- those which are abandoned as failures after a brief period of success (Gibson & Tesone, 2001). Fads can be considered to have the properties of simplicity, promise, novelty, lively, universal, in-tune with the zeitgeist and legitimated by gurus (Miller et al, 2004). In contrast to fads, which influence engagement, trends influence tactics and focus on future and subcutaneous issues.(Miller et al, 2004 via
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/4885139_How_to_detect_a_management_fad_-_And_distinguish_it_from_a_classic)
Considering the above table outlining the properties of administrative fads, it is with little alignment that the concept of Smart Cities can be applied to the framework. As a complex and sophisticated set of initiatives, and with the awareness that the term itself is still being explored by theorists, it is far from straightforward. While it is possible to argue a link with the feature of promising results, this can be stated about both trends and fads since the purpose of any idea or initiative in this vein is to produce results, and those for Smart Cities are no exception. Perhaps the key distinction in the results forecasting offered by trends and fads can be that the latter may fail to deliver on an enduring scale the promises of value given during the earlier stages of its development. The appeal of Smart Cities can been seen as universal since they aim to counter the widespread issue of rapid population growth and the consequential resource scarcity in its wake. However, this problem is most prevalent in urban communities and societies which gears the solution of Smart Cities exclusively towards the development of urban locations rather than across a wider margin of areas. The step-down capability of Smart Cities is almost non-existent, since all plans in this course of action require a significant investment of time and capital, and its implementation is extremely thorough and research-based, as opposed to ritualistic and superficial. Smart cities do resonate with major trends and business problems of the day, and can be considered a response to the challenges posed by the problem, however, unlike a fad, this management trend represents a lasting solution to the issue rather than a spontaneous or timely reaction to a new development.
Are Smart Cities Management?
Since Smart Cities are created as a solution to the problem of resource scarcity precipitated by rapid urban population growth, it can be identified as a system of resource management. Many of the features associated with Smart Cities are closely in-keeping with existing trends and best practices predicted to make an impact on management and its application today and in the future. One such example is the development of remote working, and its role in building teams. As established in one blog article monitoring management trends for 2016, the rise in remote working arrangements can give companies greater access to a wider pool of talent free from geographical and economic restrictions that would otherwise inhibit recruitment to a more accessible selection of candidates. With smart cities, this is applied in the use of a technology called Telepresence, which creates a more inclusive version of virtual classrooms and boardrooms which can be transmitted across the internet to any other participating telepresence location in the world. Beyond this, in light of an increasing awareness of the difficulty in visiting a GP in the United States of America, it has been proposed that telepresence will soon allow online doctor's consultations through telepresence, which could potentially save millions of dollars in healthcare bills and provide significantly better access to essential clinical advice and treatment.Implementing Smart Cities: Yesterday and Today
Despite the fact that this TEDx talk was given over 3 years ago, it gives a great insight into the development of smart cities and how many of the initiatives that make up the concept have already been implemented and what effect they are having upon the world. More specifically, this talk is useful in that it gives a useful and coherent snapshot of where in their development smart cities were at the time of this recording, which gives an interesting marker against which to measure current information on the subject.
(YouTube, 2013)
Songdo, South Korea
Many of the initiatives necessary to qualify a city as 'Smart' exist in this purpose-build International Business District in South Korea, which upon completion in 2020 aims to be the first fully functioning and inhabited smart city in the world. Developed by networking giant Cisco, Songdo boasts many sustainability achievements:
(Bishop, A. 2007 via
http://www.opp.today/songdo-praised-as-sustainable-new-city/)
Masdar City, United Arab Emirates
Another example of a smart city built from scratch is Masdar City in the UAE, which places greater importance on design rather than the development of new technologies to create the desired environment in the city. One example of this is the architectural decision to construct the city at a 45 degree angle to the equator, and arrange buildings closer together than traditional cities, so that there is always shade throughout the day on the streets, which can result in a fair reduction in air temperature even during hours which are usually extremely hot due to its desert location.
Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
Points of Contention
Sustained Funding
Privacy
Perhaps the most immediate concern of smart city projects is the sacrifice of privacy necessary to maintain such an effective technological ecosystem operated upon the continual recording and measuring of data. This could compromise citizens sense of security in these environments since such a greater degree of intrusion is possible in these instances by hackers or terrorists, making this a very real concern which needs addressing. Some solutions and considerations regarding this issue are outlined in the video below.
(YouTube, 2015)
How Will Smart Cities And Their Development Influence Management Practice?
The development of smart cities will undoubtedly have a large impact on management practice as a whole due to its multi-faceted approach to resource management and manipulation of technology to achieve a desired end. One particular example is in the massive increase in data collection which can be implemented into many management practices, whereby more data gives a clearer and more complete picture of a situation and thus allows for better decisions to be made in terms of strategy and direction. Also, the greater level of environmental monitoring will add a greater level of accountability to individuals, companies and governments alike, which will perpetuate a more honest society.
Conclusion
It can be firmly established that smart cities and their associated initiatives and developments can indeed be considered a new trend in management.
References
Bishop, A. (2017). Songdo praised as sustainable new city. Available: http://www.opp.today/songdo-praised-as-sustainable-new-city/. Last accessed 03/02/2017.
Caragliu, A. and Nijkamp, P.
(2009). Smart Cities in Europe. Available: http://inta-aivn.org/images/cc/Urbanism/background%20documents/01_03_Nijkamp.pdf. Last accessed 03/02/2017.
Elets News Network. (2015). Amritsar to be developed as smart city. Available: http://smartcity.eletsonline.com/amritsar-being-developed-as-smart-city/. Last accessed 07/02/2017.
Miller, D; Hartwick, J; Le Breton-Miller, I. (2004). How to detect a management fad - And distinguish it from a classic. Available: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/4885139_How_to_detect_a_management_fad_-_And_distinguish_it_from_a_classic. Last accessed 08/02/2017.
YouTube (2015) ‘What is a Smart City' [Online] Available from:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Br5aJa6MkBc [Accessed 07 February 2017].
YouTube (2013) ‘Smart Cities: How do we Build the Cities of Tomorrow: Hugh Green at TEDxEmory’ [Online] Available from:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGOVEvm7dm0&t=187s [Accessed 07 February 2017].
YouTube (2015) ‘
Quick Look: Effective Partnerships- Security and Privacy in Smart Cities’ [Online] Available from:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8xid79rYq0 [Accessed 05 February 2017].